This invention relates to exception handing in a programmable processor.
One challenge in designing a programmable microprocessor, such as a digital signal processor, is the handling of exceptions. An exception may be a software-initiated event that arises when an error is encountered, such as invalid instruction or bus error. In designing a processor, it is desirable to handle events as quickly as possible. However, this typically involves additional hardware that may increase the power consumption of the processor.
Exceptions are generally detected when an instruction is being executed. These detected exceptions are then generally reported for processing after the processor has executed the instruction. If an exception condition can be detected before the instruction is executed, however, the processing of an exception may be handled more quickly.